Saijo
is a suburb located in the center of Higashi-Hiroshima City with a population of about 100,000 people. It is about 40km from downtown Hiroshima City.　Saijo is best known for its sake and sake-related activities. It is amongst the top three quality sake brewing areas in Japan. Most of the time when a non-resident speaks the name of Saijo, the words "Sake Matsuri" follow or proceed it. Sake Matsuri is a nationally renowned festival that takes place every fall. For a weekend the city doubles in population welcoming people from all over the county, and more than 900 sake makers from all over Japan arrive to showcase their sake. For the 362 days that Sake Matsuri is not happening, Saijo defines itself primarily as a service center for the rural areas surrounding it, as a bedroom community for Hiroshima City and the home of Hiroshima University. Transportation Getting in To/from the airport Saijo is the closest metropolitan area to Hiroshima International Airport. From the airport take a bus (leaving from platform 4) to Shiraichi Station (12min). From there take the train to Saijo (10 min). The total fare amounts to 590 yen. By train Saijo has a station on the JR Sanyo line. It is about 35 minutes from Saijo to Hiroshima City. Higashihirosima Shinkansen Station is also in Saijo, however it is serviced only by the Kodama trains. By bus The train station doubles as the bus station, from which many buses come and go to Onomichi, Kure, Fukuyama, Mihara, and of course Hiroshima City. By car Getting around Saijo is a flat sprawling city. You can easily bike to major locations in the city within 40 minutes. More than likely anywhere that you want to go will be within walking distance of Saijo Station or Hiroshima University. There is a fairly regular bus service between those two destinations. Working JET placements There are currently 5 High School JETs based in Higashihiroshima (employed by the prefecture). There are 6 JETs that work for the Higashihioshima City Board of Education. 3 of which are based out of Saijo, 3 of which are based in smaller communities within 20 min drive of Saijo. Foreign community In addition to the JETs there are a few other English teachers based in Saijo. There are quite a few foreign students based at Hiroshima University. There is a growing community of Chinese, and South/Southeast Asian immigrants working and living in the area. Sightseeing Places to visit Sakagura-Dori (酒蔵通り) The majority of the sake distilleries are scattered along this famous street and are easily recognizable as they are painted black and white. Some of the breweries have open tours once a month and sometimes private tours upon request. You get a chance to have an insider's view of the breweries, learn the history about the distilleries and get some information about sake production. As schedules may be subject to change it's best to call and ask for updated schedules. The primary brewing season is from October until March. You can visit their website here. Kagamiyama Park (鏡山公園) A beautiful park with lots of open areas to play a game of Frisbee, barbeque or just have a sit down. This park is a crowd pleaser come spring as the cherry blossoms are blooming and hundreds of people come to the park for Hanami. Minaga Reservoir (三永水源地) This place is definitely worth a visit too. It has a wisteria trellis overlooking the water, which is beautiful when in bloom. Not too far from the reservoir are the Azumako Falls, which are reputedly the largest falls in Higashi-Hiroshima City. A tower from a Christian music school rises in the backdrop when viewed from the top of the falls, and you can climb down to the pool at the bottom. Just to the side, near the truck stop, tucked away is a lovely stone pagoda built in remembrance of some semi-legendary historical tragedy. Festivals Sake Festival (酒祭り) One weekend in October, Saijo becomes the top destination for people all around Hiroshima-ken, including JETs. The Sake Festival has all your typical festival food, games and atmosphere, but with the added bonus of sake. About 900 different kinds of sake are brought from almost every prefecture. A ticket is needed to gain entrance to the sake park in order to taste the sake. Your ticket gets you a sake cup and entrance to the sake park. The sake is all you can drink until the stock runs out. You can buy tickets from a konbini or buy them on the day, though the former is cheaper. Shopping In comparison to other Japanese cities, Saijo is generally built around the car. Shopping and entertainment can be pretty spread out. Malls and department stores are large, and have a great selection of goods, but there are fewer non-franchised local businesses. Supermarkets As an agricultural hub, Saijo has it's fair share of groceries. Department stores Home & Garden stores Book shops Electronics Others Eating Japanese Food Foreign Food Coffee & Tea Drinking Izakayas Izakaya restaurants are typically places where you order a lot of different small Japanese dishes, share with friends and can order various cocktails and drinks. The portions are small but if you like to try a lot of different things this is the place to do that. These restaurants are often the meeting place for work parties, Enkais. Also, check out the Sakaguradori Specialty Restaurants, which are a few minutes from Saijo station. Located in the Sakaguradori (酒蔵通り) district, these restaurants are sure to appease hungry appetites after a long night of work or going out. You can have your choice of okonomiyaki, yakitori or ramen. Bars Living Banks Government Offices Post offices Medical Facilities Libraries Hair dressers Sports facilities Community Travel agents Map External links *Saijo's official homepage (Japanese) Category:Hiroshima Prefecture Category:Articles using Google maps